Repositionable sheets, such as tape flags and note paper, are typically disposed in a stack with each of the sheets having a narrow band of the repositionable adhesive coated on one surface along one edge by which the sheets are adhered together. The repositionable adhesive used in these products typically includes an adhesive binder layer containing numerous infusible, solvent-dispersible tacky elastomeric microspheres. Products of this type can be adhered to almost any substrate, including paper, readily removed without delaminating the substrate, and subsequently repositioned. The force required to peel these products from a paper substrate is generally maintained within a range of about 8 grams/centimeter (g/cm) to about 80 g/cm.
Numerous attempts have been made to achieve the results obtainable with microsphere adhesives by substituting more conventional pressure-sensitive adhesives, which typically have continuous-coat (100% coverage) peel adhesion values, when applied to untreated paper, on the order of at least about 100 g/cm width. Such approaches have included the use of pressure-sensitive adhesives having inherently low tack, or thinner coatings of pressure-sensitive adhesives. Other approaches have included deactivating portions of a coating of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, or applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive to only portions of a backing to produce spaced adhesive stripes. None of these approaches have provided products with the performance characteristics equivalent to that of the microsphere-containing adhesives referred to above. Thus, other approaches to the microsphere-containing adhesives are still desired.